Caring and Freedom

Freedom House a human rights organization which ranks countries in term of freedom each year says that freedom lost ground in 2009. It cited the countries where freedom seemed worse, and as I read it was easy to feel disheartened. And then I began to get email upon email about the earthquake in Haiti, some giving me the names of organizations through which I could contribute, some telling me where that person had given. Not since the famine in Ethiopia over 20 years ago have I seen such a deep and heartfelt sense of caring. Then after the nth expression I remembered that no matter what good work Freedom House does, no matter how helpful their numbers may be, there’s something they didn’t factor in, caring. As long as there’s caring freedom is safe because it is that need for expressing caring that also feeds our need to be free.

The Time To Ask

We’re closer to finding out if there’s life out there! We’re four to five years away from it, or as Simon Worden, an astronomer who heads NASA’s Ames Research Center, said, getting to the bottom of that question. That is because the Kepler telescope is making numerous new discoveries possible. Of course the question of whether or not humans are alone in the universe is important. But as we near the answer, there is a question that is even more important: What would we do should we find a planet with life—or at least what we call life? Would we as in the movie Avatar, start extracting its resources? Would we colonize it, use it as a penal colony, as an overflow for overpopulation? Would the idea of ownership lead to conflicts, and with whom? If the planet had inhabitants, how would we treat them, with honor for their traditions? The time to begin asking questions is not when we would be so excited about an important discovery, our emotions would likely interfere with a rational decision. The time is now, when we still have a modicum of objectivity.

Loving Their Children More

A while back NYT columnist Tom Friedman wrote a column about the Middle East where he suggested that people of the region were going to have to decide they loved their children more than they hated each other. Maybe it hasn’t come to pass in a big way, but it may be beginning. A young Israeli Jew hurt by a Hamas rocket and a young Palestinian girl hurt by Israeli missile during Israel’s Gaza war have made friends at Alyn Hospital in Jerusalem. Through them their families have also become friendly and as they are, they are engaging others on the floor. The boy’s mother noting that at Alyn Hospital political tensions do not exists, asked, “Do we need to suffer in order to learn that there is no difference between Jews and Arabs?”

Banning Landmines

Four countries are now land mine free, Albania, Greece, Rwanda and Zambia. That is no small accomplishment, but many more need to join the list. Landmines destroy many lives and show a lack of respect for human rights. The 1997 International Mine Ban Treaty was ratified by 156 nations. And yet key players on the world stage have not yet ratified it, countries such as the United States, Russia, India and Pakistan. It was hoped President Obama would take the opportunity to have the treaty signed since the agreement is up for renewal, but so far the administration has let the status quo stand, refusing to take steps to have it signed and ratified. No doubt there are political considerations for the lack of action. Sometimes, though, humanitarian grounds should prevail. Banning landmines is one of those instances.